Great music, food and nature, with a dash of eccentricity

The mist-shrouded swamps, the prairies of Acadiana and the gray Spanish moss cascading from the old trees all add up to the special feeling that is Louisiana. The streets here are filled with an eclectic mix of people whose ideas, tastes and roots translate into the cuisines, music and art that characterize the Pelican State. Louisiana features a multicultural, multilingual history, influenced by the people who make up the state. The people of Louisiana came from France, Spain, Haiti, French Canada, the Caribbean, Africa and Vietnam. While there is no official state language, the state constitution acknowledges “the right of the people to preserve, foster, and promote their respective historic, linguistic, and cultural origins.”

Louisiana - Birthplace of Jazz

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Well-known Icons and Pleasant Surprises

To many, Louisiana is known as the birthplace of jazz, where over-stuffed po’ boys are bountiful, and where the greatest Mardi Gras celebrations take place. The list of lesser-knowns from this swampy Southern state is deliciously new to the outsider: a steaming hot bowl of seafood gumbo, freshly-made beignets and drive-through daiquiri shops. Thankfully, the uninitiated can head down one of Louisiana’s Culinary Trails to acquaint themselves with the distinctive Creole/Cajun flavors, and the history behind them.

Then there’s the unmistakable beat of zydeco music, eerily-beautiful bayous and the sacred temples of Voodoo priestesses (where you go to get your juju on track). Here, the Cajun and Creole musicians (who created the tunes of swamp pop in a hybrid of rock, R&B and blues sounds) live on in a new generation of talent that moves the crowds at the intimate local music haunts. Another cure for the unaccustomed: one evening at the Blue Moon Saloon and Guesthouse, a historic honky tonk that hosts roots music every night. Louisiana is a place where artistic expression flourishes and where artists have an outlet for their creativity that remains unhampered by convention, which is reflected in the many galleries showing outsider art as a mainstay.

Nowhere Else Like It

Only in Louisiana has Spain’s running of the bulls been transformed into folks strapping on rollerblades and helmets – with horns – to roll around chasing each other as “rollerbulls.” And only in Louisiana are there frog shows in place of dog shows and inmates performing as cowboys in prison rodeos. This is a state that knows how to throw a good party – and to tease its arrival all year long: The 365-day countdown to Mardi Gras, which commemorates Fat Tuesday, is the most-anticipated event of the year across the state. This Pre-Lenten/Easter festival about parties, parades, beads, costumes and eating traditional king cakes is one of the most popular events to attend in all of the U.S.

Louisiana - Birthplace of Jazz

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Fun Fact

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The majority of the New Orleans’ French Quarter is actually Spanish in architecture.

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Nottoway Plantation in White Castle is the largest antebellum mansion in the south and was the inspiration for the mansion in the Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.”

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The ascension of Elvis Presley’s musical career began at the Louisiana Hayride, a recurring radio-broadcast concert series at Shreveport, Louisiana’s downtown municipal auditorium in 1954.

Ask a Local

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Ask a Local: Louisiana

Must see places

New Orleans French Quarter

You came, you saw, you mardi gras’d: There’s no visiting Louisiana without a trip to the iconic community that acts as the crossroads for so many cultures and traditions. Explore this National Historic District’s unbeatable food scene, museums, music and notorious thoroughfare, Bourbon Street.

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Creole Nature Trail All-American Road

Consider this 290-kilometer path through the marshlands and coastline of Louisiana a drive right into the heart of Cajun culture. You’ll encounter gators, beaches, crabbing, fishermen, wildflowers and plenty of chances to sample the seafood along this scenic path.

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Avery Island

This small, salt dome island in Iberia Parish is home to TABASCO, where you can take a tour and sample the products and then explore the lovely environment. Visit Jungle Gardens to take in the serenity of the island as well as its wildlife.

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Atchafalaya National Heritage Area

The basin here is the USA’s largest river swamp, home to hardwoods, bayous, backwater lakes and teeming with swamp wildlife (including crawfish). Don’t miss a tour of the water heritage trail in this spectacular environment; it tells the richly complex story of the water, land and people of the area.

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Vermilionville Living History & Folk Life Park

In Lafayette, this folk life park illustrates Acadian, American Indian and Creole culture of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Highlights include 19 attractions, seven restored homes, costumed guides and local artisans.

Oak Alley Plantation

The very picture of a historic antebellum home, a tour of Oak Alley takes you through the Big House, a Civil War Encampment Exhibit and Slave Quarter Exhibit. A Cajun/Creole lunch buffet is also available, as well as the “Spirits” Bar and a shop.

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St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square

The USA’s oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use presides over Jackson Square. Tours of the historic landmark are self-guided, and you’ll want to follow up with a stop at the Catholic Cultural Heritage Center and at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum. Afterwards, explore Jackson Square, the iconic French Quarter park bursting with character.

Preservation Hall

There’s no better place to catch classic New Orleans live jazz than here, where they’ve been keeping the tradition alive since 1961. Get tickets for a show any night; past performances have even included rock, country and hip-hop styles.